Every day, everywhere,
and in every situation life can put us through, there is a leader and there are
participants. Life naturally flows in
such a way as the creatures we are, where a leader is necessary. Although, a leader is a subjective term
depending on whom you ask. Each
description can define someone that a person has previously experienced, or
themselves based on how he or she may lead others in life. However, there will be similarities in each
description. These similarities are the
characteristics that most if not all natural leaders will possess.
According to DuBrin’s book Leadership, it is stated, “Leadership is the ability to inspire
confidence and support among people who are needed to achieve organizational
goals” (DuBrin p. 2). A person cannot be
led to believe that a leader is one type of person, and no matter whom the
leader is, he or she will be like all the rest. This simply is not true. Currently my class
and I have learned about and researched five main leadership styles. However, there are many more leadership styles
to choose from. These first five are the
fundamental styles that each other style later will derive from. Each style has a different thought process,
method of deliverance, and characteristic. Our class was asked to choose one style of
leadership that best represents the individual, and to present evidence as to
why the specific leadership style defines our style. The five leadership styles we may choose from
include Charismatic, Transformational, Participative, Autocratic, and
Entrepreneurial leadership (DuBrin p. 71, 106). Within DuBrin’s textbook Leadership, there are many assessments a student may take to help
one figure out what leadership style best fits the natural characteristics a
student may display. According to the
self-assessment 4-2 in the textbook Leadership,
I am mostly a participative leader however I do not fall entirely in the
characteristics of participative leadership (DuBrin p. 125, 126). Secondly, according to a different
self-assessment in the textbook Leadership,
I am mostly a task-oriented leader with some secondary characteristics of a
relationship-oriented leader (DuBrin p. 115).
A participative leader is one who relies on the ideas and
opinions of group members to create decisions. There are different levels of participative
leadership which include autocratic, consultative, consensus, and democratic
(DuBrin). From past experiences, I can
confidently say that I fall into a participative leadership style. Based on the situation that I am in and the
people who are my group members directly affects what subtype of participative
leader I am. As leader, I enjoy finding
out the opinions of my group members and the ideas individuals may have about
how to complete a task. I feel it is
very important to include group members in decisions. Currently I am the leader of a group project
for a restaurant concept. When in the
group, I ask each group member what he or she would like to do, or if he or she
has any thoughts on changes to the restaurant concept. It allows the restaurant to become the idea
child of all group members. If every member
agrees and feels that the individual is truly a part of the restaurant concept,
he or she will work harder and be more involved with the process because of the
personal connection with the project. In
my current leadership position, I stand as a consensus participative leader. A consensus leader by definition is a leader
that discusses with groups and makes a decision based on the general agreement
of the group members (DuBrin p. 123).
My dominant leadership style is task-orientated leader. Someone who is a task-orientated leader
focuses more on the task to be performed, than on the relationships of the
group members (DuBrin p. 110). In other
studies, some have called task-orientated leadership initiating structure. The
article by Social Behavior and Personality about task-orientated leadership
states, “Initiating Structure expresses the degree to which a leader defines
the roles of their followers, focuses on goal achievement, and establishes well-defined
patterns of communication” (Jose p. 1394). As stated before, I am mostly a task-oriented
leader with some secondary characteristics of a relationship-oriented leader. A relationship-oriented leader displays
concern and respect for group members, looks for the welfare of members, and
expresses appreciation and support for the individual (Jose p. 1394). One way of determining which style of leader someone
is whether it is task or relationship oriented, is to use the Blake Mouton
Managerial Grid. It asks the leader to
think of a recent leadership situation he or she was involved in, and to
determine how focused on the people he or she was, and how focused one was on
the results. Depending on the responses,
it will place the answers on a grid to determine which style of leader one is,
more task or more relationship. I again
fell more towards the task-related leader, but still a sub-layer of relationship-oriented
leader (1). Some attributes I possess
that coincide with task-oriented leaders are; adaptability to a situation,
direction setting, high performance standards, concentrating on strengths of
group members, hands-on guidance, ability to ask tough questions, and
organizing for collaboration (DuBrin p. 110). I am able to work with many different types of
people in many different places and be able to keep up and adapt quickly. I am confident in this trait, and will be able
to display this trait in Germany during my internship. As a leader in my restaurant concept group, I
direct where all my group members must be and when his or her task must be
completed. I ask all group members what
he or she is highly skilled in, and use those strengths to perform a certain
action. I am efficient in organizing
group meetings and putting together groups or pairs of people with similar
strengths to complete responsibilities. Contrarily,
the traits and attributes that coincide with relationship-oriented leaders that
I possess include; openness to workers opinions, creating inspiration and
visibility, giving emotional support and encouragement, and promoting
principles and values (DuBrin p. 116).
In
different studies and publications, it is stated that the best leaders can balance
task and relationship oriented leadership. Because I currently already possess
characteristics in both task and relationship oriented leadership, it is a goal
of mine to work on creating a highly effective balance between the two. According to the Blake Mouton Managerial
model, the balance of high task related and high relationship related leaders
are the pinnacle of managerial styles. Because
of the balance, group members are involved in understanding organizational
purposes and needs. It creates a group
members commitment to a project where each individual understands his or her
needs as well as the needs to produce (1). The article Motivator or Ogre by John Farr
looks at the different leadership styles in managerial positions in a
restaurant. His article states that most
bosses in a restaurant setting are task-oriented leaders. The executive chef wants the most production
out of his employees without taking into consideration personal lives and
goals. This can create a highly
effective kitchen, but a very impersonal kitchen. When an executive chef is a perfect balance
between task and relationship, the executive chef takes time to get to know
each employee. This may open doors to
advancements in lower level positions, increase employee morale, and get
employees to feel more part of a “family” (Farr).
In
my future, I plan on operating my own restaurant as executive chef. My natural task-oriented leadership will
ensure that my kitchen runs efficiently and that there is never a task that
cannot be accomplished. I want to work
on my relationship-oriented leadership so by the time I am executive chef, my
employees will see me as an approachable manager. I will be understanding and build bonds with
all of my employees. After I have found
out what each of my employees like, or plan on later in life I can help each
one move up to higher positions or obtain the highest title he or she can get
to. When discussing the future of the
operation or if there is a change in menu or style, I will use participative leadership
to hear ideas of my team to where they would like to see the restaurant go. I know I can complete my goal of becoming a
balanced leader because I am currently practicing skills in
relationship-oriented leadership. I am
more involved in the personal lives of group members. I actively ask how he or she is doing, giving
more emotional support to those around me, and living by example for my values
and principles.
Some
people in this world are born leaders, some are forced to be leaders, and
others can choose to become great leaders. I am making the decision to become a great
leader in the future by practicing today the necessary skills for all the
leadership styles. It will mold me into
a well-rounded leader who can manage all different types of people and
situations. I will use my natural
leadership style, task-oriented, as my strength and build upon others.
Works Cited
1
"The Blake Mouton Managerial
Grid." Blake Mouton Managerial Grid. Mind Tools, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm>.
2
DuBrin, Andrew J. Leadership: Research
Findings, Practice, and Skills. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning,
2011. Print.
3
Farr, John. "Motivator or
ogre?" Restaurant Hospitality Apr. 1998: 36. Culinary Arts Collection.
Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
4
JOSÉ M. ARANA, et al. "The Role Of
Task-Oriented Versus Relationship-Oriented Leadership On Normative Contract And
Group Performance." Social Behavior & Personality: An International
Journal 37.10 (2009): 1391-1404. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.
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